


Five Confessions

by Yuko6754



Category: Tiger & Bunny
Genre: 5 Times, Canon Compliant, Confessions, How Do I Tag, In which Barnaby is awkward, M/M, Pre-Slash, Spoilers, and Kotetsu is oblivious
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-07-18
Updated: 2013-08-17
Packaged: 2017-12-20 13:08:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,787
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/887643
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yuko6754/pseuds/Yuko6754
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A documentation of the five times that Barnaby confesses his love to Kotetsu (twice when he was unconscious, and three times when he was awake), and the one time that Barnaby takes a more active approach.</p><p>(tags and characters are likely to be added as I post new chapters)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mild spoilers for episode 13

_The first time Barnaby said it, it was after Kotetsu had been taken back to the hospital following Jake Martinez’s demise._

One of the first things the young Hero noticed about his partner’s (partner, yes, the word no longer had such an ugly connotation to it) sleeping face was how serious he looked. Serious, calm, and, surprisingly, how _mature_ he appeared to be. No breathing masks and the heart rate monitor was beeping softly, steadily, a constant and reassuring sound in the silence.

Barnaby’s fingers were laced and he was staring intensely at the motionless figure in the bed.

His opinion of Kotetsu had been going under change ever since the old man had somehow made it to the roof of the stadium to help him. His resistance had been slowly melting away ever since he had taken the hit from Lunatic for him . . . but it was not until Jake that he really began to see his partner (that word, that word that now felt _good_ to think) in a new light.

The foolish old man had risked himself to save Barnaby. Again.

_‘But this was worse than with Lunatic; he was hospitalized this time . . . and then he went and made everything worse, just like he usually does.’_

Growing up, Barnaby had had very few people that he could form emotional attachments to, and so he had never really had anybody he could confide in. Yes, Aunt Samantha was there, but she was not _there_. She was not a person he could spill his darkest secrets to, nor was she a person he could involve in his investigations.

But now . . . now he could not identify what the twisting, warm feeling in his gut was. It was something totally new, and Barnaby felt something old and familiar (even reassuring, because at least he knew what _this_ was) coil and twist along the alien emotions.

Fear.

He was frightened.

Frightened because he had absolutely no idea what it was that was slowly filling his entire body.

“Old man. . . .”

It was a small, weak, futile attempt at familiarity, at calling Kotetsu what he had been calling him since the very beginning. It was what he saw Kotetsu as, a silly, flailing old man who had no idea what he was doing, and totally relied on ‘instinct’. But . . . the words just didn’t sound _right_ anymore. They sounded false, hollow.

Seconds passed slowly, the short time feeling like an eternity.

_Beep._

_Beep._

_Beep._

Finally, eventually, all of the tension fled the blonde’s body, and he let his head fall forward, pushing his fingers through his hair. He swallowed convulsively and clenched his eyes shut.

He did not know exactly what was wrong with him, but he did have a fairly good idea.

“Kotetsu . . . Kotetsu, I think . . . I think I like you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First Tiger & Bunny fanfic, and I am stoked. These two are my OTP of all OTPs at the moment, and I can't get enough of them. I'm anxious about writing Barnaby and Kotetsu and keeping them in character, however, but I shall do my best. I haven't attempted a chapter story in years, but here's hoping that this goes as well as I hope it does!


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spoilers for episode 24

_The second time it happened was while Kotetsu was dying in his arms following the fight with H-01._  
  
Of course, at that time, Barnaby had no idea that it was mere unconsciousness. In those few seconds after rolling Kotetsu onto his back, he could not even begin to describe the emotions that buffeted him.  
  
Anger, regret, misery, loss, fear, agony.  
  
Having grown up with Maverick as his father figure, and then discovering that everything he had known had merely been a lie, Barnaby was left with no other railings to help keep him afloat other than Kotetsu _(partner father figure best friend and possibly so much more)_ , and now even that was being taken from him.  
  
If only he had _listened_.  
  
If only he had paid attention to somebody other than _himself_ and _his_ own problems.  
  
If only he had _cared_ enough to try to figure his partner out sooner.  
  
Because Kotetsu did need figuring out. Despite all of his childish actions and his immature behavior, he took a great amount of care in shielding and guarding himself. Well, protecting himself _emotionally,_ anyway. The older Hero seemed to have no problem hurling himself into harm's way to prevent anyone else from getting hurt.  
  
Barnaby did not know if he loved or if he hated that particular side of him.  
  
Loved it because it was pure _Kaburagi Kotetsu_ , because that was what he _did_. He would sacrifice buildings, send gargantuan fines in property damage back to his sponsors as long as it meant that the people - or one person, he would do it for one single person - were safe and sound.  
  
Hated it because it always backfired. Because it always wound up hurting Kotetsu the most. Lloyds would yell and reprimand him. He would return with a fresh scar (though those almost always healed up in the end) or he would be favoring one of his legs.  
  
But it was that determination, that pure iron will that Barnaby gradually found himself drawn to. That good-natured pestering and nosing around that Kotetsu always did, and while it was annoying, it had always been for Barnaby's benefit in the end.  
  
That determination that pushed him to clear his name even when all of Sternbild (even his partner, even Barnaby himself) had turned against him, called him traitor. How Kotetsu had been willing to sacrifice _everything_ in order to bring Barnaby back to his senses.  
  
And now everything, after it had all looked like things were going to turn out all right in the end, was crashing down all around him.  
  
He cried.  
  
 _(the tears just wouldn't stop flowing)_  
  
He accused.  
  
 _(your endurance was supposed to be your strong point so why)_  
  
He bargained.  
  
 _(fried rice I've been practicing to make fried rice so you have to try some Kotetsu-san)_  
  
He pleaded.  
  
 _(please don't go don't leave me like everybody else)_  
  
And when Kotetsu's body finally went limp in his arms, he confessed.  
  
"I . . . Kotetsu, I . . . I love you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To be honest, I'm a bit worried that I made Barnaby a little bit _too_ dark and brooding in this one, but I do rather like how it turned out anyway.


	3. Chapter 3

_The third time was when Barnaby had taken Kotetsu out for a round of celebratory drinks a month after they had both returned to the Hero business._

It had been Kotetsu who asked Barnaby if he wanted to go for a round of drinks. The offer was surprising (not once had the two of them ever gone out for drinks before, not even after they had both become closer), but of course Barnaby didn't refuse. Kotetsu was high in spirit and high in adrenaline after catching his first criminal since he and Barnaby had teamed up again in the second league.

Barnaby had thought that the whole confession would go a little smoother if Kotetsu was a bit tipsy. He held onto that thought for all of fifteen seconds as he watched his partner breeze right on past tipsy and into full-on smashed territory. Still, Barnaby refused to be deterred. At this point he was only hoping (praying, really, though he had never been a praying sort of man) that his words penetrated the drunken haze that was Kotetsu’s mind.

The other Heroes being there only complicated things, but Barnaby was determined to work around it. He had to.

Get away from the mass of squealing fangirls (and was that a fan _boy_ he saw?), approach Kotetsu (Barnaby knew exactly where he was, of course), drag him to a more secluded area, confess for the third time, and await his partner’s reaction.

Dislodging himself from the fangirls was simple enough, much to his surprise, and so was getting close to Kotetsu (who was guffawing over something that Antonio had said). Dragging Kotetsu away was not a difficult task either (he was polite, of course, saying he needed to borrow the older man for a few minutes), and Nathan immediately pounced on the stranded Antonio.

Everything after that went unnoticed by Barnaby as he led (dragged would be more appropriate) Kotetsu to the bar’s back entrance and out into the cool night air. Not the most romantic place for a confession, but Barnaby knew he couldn’t be picky.

Kotetsu grinned that goofy, doofus grin he had (the grin that was one of many things that made his heart flutter and thump in his chest), and the blonde felt his mouth go dry.

He had not faced many rejections in his life. He had always been confident, self-assured, always knew where he wanted to go and what he wanted to do. It wasn’t until he met Kotetsu (that stupid, gentle, reckless, caring old man) that it felt like everything was spinning out of his control. He wanted to confess and for Kotetsu to accept him, but now . . . now Barnaby knew that he very well might _not_ get what he wanted.

And that scared him. It really scared him.

It felt totally different now that Kotetsu was awake and able to hear him, able to reject him, able to crush his heart and dismiss his feelings (though he would probably do all of those things without the intention to cause harm . . . because he was _Kotetsu_ and would hate causing harm to anyone).

Barnaby squeezed Kotetsu’s wrist, then dropped it and caught his hand before it could return to his partner’s side.

“Kotetsu . . . I need to tell you something.”

There. One step at a time.

“Go f’it, Bunny!”

Kotetsu’s intoxication level was somewhat worrying ( _Would he even know what I’m saying? What if he just laughs at me?_ ) but Barnaby shoved ahead. He had to say it. He _had_ to confess. With a deep breath that did nothing to calm his raging, storming heart, and summoning a surge of courage, he finally spoke.

“Kotetsu, I love you.”

He didn’t even stutter. He managed the words clearly, and they came easier than he expected . . . and now all he had to do was hope that his partner was able to understand them. But it was out. He had said it, and with it, most of the hellish tension leaked from his body. Now all that was left was the reaction. Rejection or acceptance.

Kotetsu was silent for just a split second before flinging his arms around his partner in a tight bear hug, laughing and grinning all the while.

“Aww! Love ya too, Bunny!”

It was not quite the reaction Barnaby had envisioned, but it was an acceptance, and his heart hammered in his chest while his head overflowed with images of things that might possibly happen in the near future. Butterflies danced and fluttered around in his stomach while a slow, relieved smile began to spread over his face.

“Y’the best partner a guy could ever ask for!”

The ground beneath Barnaby vanished without warning, and he felt like he was freefalling through an empty void while his heart ceased beating.

Kotetsu clapped him on the shoulders again, grinning that _stupid, goofy_ grin, and slipped back inside without another word, leaving his stunned and heartbroken partner behind to nurse his wounds.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a very forced chapter, I am aware of that. It feels more like I told instead of showed what was happening. /keels over
> 
> I was in writer's block and forced myself to write anyway, and this is the result. But it's better than no chapter, I think.


End file.
